Prevalence of arterial hypertension and associated factors in the military population of Santa Maria-RS

Introduction: Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH) is a chronic non-communicable disease, characterized by sustained elevation of blood pressure. The absence of studies that address aspects related to SAH in military personnel from the southern region of Brazil led to the investigation of their current situation. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of SAH and associated factors in the population of Military Personnel of the Brazilian Army of the Garrison of Santa Maria-RS. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study consisting of 234 soldiers of both sexes, from Military Organizations of the Brazilian Army of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Maria-RS, tracked from June to November 2019. Data collection was carried out through sociodemographic questionnaire, assessment, blood pressure measurement and analysis of electronic medical records. The classification for SAH was recommended by the 8th Brazilian Guidelines on Arterial Hypertension. Results: The mean age was 35.3 +/- 8.8 years, most were male, married, without children, living with others, with complete higher education, in the square, and exercising bureaucratic activities. A greater number were overweight, non-smokers, consumed alcoholic beverages, and engaged in physical activity, in the aerobic modality. The prevalence of SAH was 27.7% in the studied sample. Anthropometric evaluation showed that hypertensive individuals had higher weight (p=0.040) and waist circumference (p=0.031) measurements. With results similar to those of other Brazilian studies, the prevalence of SAH was high. Furthermore, the results indicate that anthropometric and lifestyle factors are related to the occurrence of SAH.